Gene Test Could Help Indicate Colorectal Cancer Treatment

By

Robert Tomsho Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Updated May 5, 2005 12:01 a.m. ET

A readily available lab test could give patients with colon and rectal cancer a better sense of their prognosis and also indicate whether their family members are at risk, according to a study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most deadly and common forms of cancer, accounting for 57,000 deaths and 147,000 new cases last year.